7 Steps to finding your voice as an artist

You know it’s amazing, many of us want to sell our art but it seems that so few of us actually manage to do it. Partly its down to massive issues around confidence and feeling good enough.

Finding our voice can be a lifetimes journey. But when you know your voice, you know your story, you have an integrity in your work. It is your voice and your story which will draw your collectors.

Step 1 – Break free from the internet

There are so many reasons why breaking free from the internet is a good thing when it comes to our art.

First of all, it is an incredible distraction. How many times have you found yourself just watching one more video? How many cat videos have you watched.? This is time you could have used creating, which you already know, but why do we keep doing it. It’s partly because our brains go “oooooh… shiny object” and we get an immediate hit of satisfaction.

But its more than that. The internet will share with you so many ways of how you “should” be doing things. “Use this technique to create” or “do this amazing thing to promote yourself”. It can become so easy to become overloaded that you stop hearing your own voice, your own creativity.

We can totally be inspired with all the amazing resources we find online. But it is also so easy to start questioning whether your ideas are original enough, are too influenced by others or if you are managing to follow the latest trend.

How do you find your own voice when it is full of what other people think?

One of the simplest things we can to start finding our own voice, our own creativity, is to reduce the amount of stimulation we give our minds from outside. Reduce that outside stimulation and our brains will start to create noise. They find some way to entertain us. We will find our own creativity, our own voice.

Step 2 – Stop looking at others artwork

Looking at other people’s work is a great way to trigger off an imposter syndrome, of not feeling good enough to create as we can’t keep up with the standard of those we see around us.

As you focus in on your inner voice, rather than the noise around you, you will begin to find our own personal sense of direction. Your unique way of doing things. Rather than the carbon copy of others work.

Step 3 – Create art for yourself

This is about creating work that reflects the core of who you are and the colours and aesthetic that you love. The marketing side of your business means that it is good to considered your audience and what they will like, but before you think of selling you need to consider yourself first.

What sets your heart of fire, what makes a piece of work uniquely yours? The “why” behind what you are creating.

Step 4 – Take risks

There are so many people, schools of thought and styles that feed into the idea of how we “should” be creating our art. If we follow these consistently we end up stuck in a box of other people’s expectations.

By taking a risk with colour, form or image you can begin to find what you like. Find what is unique to you. Unique to your own artistic voice. Break a few rules and discover how you like to do things.

Step 5 – Push through when its hard

When we start a piece of work we are generally excited, we are willing to dive all in. As we begin to work on it our interest wains, our emotions tell us its rubbish and our struggles with the piece increase. All too often we get to a point where we don’t like the piece of work and we never push through.

This cycle is a well-documented one. It is well known that in the middle of a project there is a “valley of despair” and it is hard to push through it

That is why each of us have so many half-finished pieces of work.

As we push through that “fugly” stage we find something that reflects more of who we are. Reflects our struggle with that piece and increases our skills and perseverance as an artist. It is in this perseverance that we find new aspects to our creative voice which we would never have discovered if we hadn’t pushed through

Step 6 – Find what inspires you

Ok so this sounds like a really obvious statement but how many times do you have a flash of inspiration, only for it to vanish?

The power of a creative journal, a notebook or something you record on your phone, means that you will never loose these flashes of inspiration. The things you are drawn to, that inspire you to create. That feed the fuel of your own voice.

Step 7 – Your story

Question for you. How many paintings of Picasso can you name or of Van Gogh? We know the stories of their life. We know that Picasso was an extrovert who partied and that Van Gogh was tortured by the emotions he felt. They also happen to create memorable art.

But its memorable because we know the person.

It’s also what gives fine art is value. Its value comes not only from who painted it but who has owned it before. The story of the piece of art.

Your story which you interweave with your art may or may not be visible on the canvas, but sharing your story is what makes your piece unique. Your unique voice.

If you are having trouble finding your unique story I would love to offer you a 20 minute “tell your story, increase your visibility makeover” session. You will walk away from this session with clarity about your next step to take forward your art business.